Emma

S: Happy New Year! We are back and happy to discuss the 1996 Emma movie adaptation starring Gwyneth Paltrow. I confess I was never interested in watching this adaptation and, in all honesty, I don’t know why. It really doesn’t make any sense considering there were so many Jane Austen adaptations released during this period… Read more

(This conversation will contain spoilers for the current chapters.) R: This was a great chapter! I loved Mr. Knightley’s comments as he read Frank Churchill’s letter. I tend to agree with him in his assessment of Frank’s character. I think Mr. Knightley moving to Hartford in order to marry Emma is a good solution. S:… Read more

(This conversation will contain spoilers for the current chapters.) S: I knew it! I am a bit astonished at Jane, but also her secrecy doesn’t surprise me. It’s Frank’s actions that annoy me most – his behaviour toward her really is appalling and very wrong, despite all the misunderstandings.  R: YOU WERE RIGHT! Good guess… Read more

(This conversation will contain spoilers for the current chapters.) S: Chapter 41 is so very amusing! Emma thinks that Mr. Churchill and Harriet like each other and Jane Fairfax loves Mr. Dixon; Mr. Knightley thinks that Emma likes Mr. Churchill, but Mr. Churchill and Jane really like each other; we’re not sure who Harriet actually… Read more

(This conversation will contain spoilers for the current chapters.) S: I laughed to myself when Mrs. Elton announced her disgust of ‘upstarts’, for Emma feels just that way about her! I think it’s charming that Emma doesn’t realise she’s endearing herself to Mr. Knightley.  R: Mrs. Elton…I’m not even sure what to say about her.… Read more

(This conversation will contain spoilers for the current chapters.) S: Ah, finally! Here is a bit of good sense from Emma: she sees she does not have a tender heart. My only question is why she does not work on disciplining herself to have one. I suppose acknowledging the problem is the first step, so… Read more

(This conversation will contain spoilers for the current chapters.) S: Chapter 26 is rather interesting. Although I have little to base this off of, I think that Mr. Churchill sent the pianoforte for Jane Fairfax when he went to London for his haircut; that was all rather fishy. I think that Mr. Churchill is playing… Read more

(This conversation will contain spoilers for the current chapters.) S: Oh dear. I have a feeling Emma’s pride is going to get the better of her. R: Indeed, and Mr. Knightley again calls Emma out on her behaviour, though he seems to do so almost gently in this case. Perhaps because Mr. Woodhouse is present.… Read more

(This conversation will contain spoilers for the current chapters.) R: Hallelujah! Emma sees the light. A little bit. She realised how wrong she was to encourage Harriet to like Mr. Elton, but in other ways she’s still blinded to her own behaviour. She recognises that some of her own attentions to Mr. Elton might have… Read more

(This conversation will contain spoilers for the current chapters.) R: Emma’s sister Isabella and family arrive, and we learn that Mr. John Knightley, Isabella’s husband, doesn’t always tolerate his father-in-law’s idiosyncrasies very well, which puts him somewhat at odds with Emma. S: Although very short, Chapter 11 gives a lot of insights into Emma’s extended… Read more